Thread Number: 42036
/ Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
Kirby 515 Light Cap Changes??? |
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Post# 443367   6/26/2021 at 22:36 (1,031 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)   |   | |
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My Kirby 515's light cap, for some reason, does not have the right light socket that would be held in with two screws, but rather the angled one used on models 516 to Classic 1CR (to be more specific, this particular light socket is the all-metal one used on models 516 to 560) that has only one screw keeping it in.
If I am seeing the inside of the cap right, the original 2C-515 square-bodied light socket will not work due to the angled provisions you see here. I wonder if Kirby changed the light socket sometime during the 513-514-515 run? ~Ben
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This post was last edited 06/26/2021 at 22:51 |
Post# 443371 , Reply# 1   6/26/2021 at 23:02 (1,031 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)   |   | |
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Here, again, is the inside of my 505's light cap to compare... again, not the original one due to the red bumper. This makes me wonder if my 515's light cap is in fact an aftermarket casting with the angled provision for the 516-1CR light socket?
~Ben
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Post# 443375 , Reply# 2   6/26/2021 at 23:59 (1,031 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)   |   | |
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Post# 443389 , Reply# 3   6/27/2021 at 09:04 (1,031 days old) by Vacmadman (Pueblo Co.)   |   | |
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Ben,
My 515 has the same one screw angled round light socket. I thought the 505 was the last to use the square light socket. My 508 pictured has the two screw round light socket. My 514 also has the same two screw round light socket set up. Jim
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Post# 443390 , Reply# 4   6/27/2021 at 09:29 (1,031 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky)   |   | |
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But very early 508s had the 505 style socket. First 508 in this thread: www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bi...
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Post# 443391 , Reply# 5   6/27/2021 at 09:58 (1,031 days old) by Vacmadman (Pueblo Co.)   |   | |
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Kieran,
Thanks for sharing this. I'm not surprised the early 508's had the square socket, Kirby would use parts left over from previous models from time to time, or make changes mid stream in production. That's another reason why it can be so challenging to determine what was original, and what was not on Kirby's. Jim |
Post# 443396 , Reply# 6   6/27/2021 at 11:23 (1,031 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)   |   | |
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Jim,
I do believe you are right about the 508 switching from the square-bodied light socket at mid-year. I did find the 514 used the same angled and metal light socket with one screw, but the 514 also still had the left-handed locking clip with the two #8 screws. Thom Stepien's (kirbycollector) 514 (look at 0:02) has the angled socket: ~Ben |
Post# 443440 , Reply# 7   6/28/2021 at 17:01 (1,029 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)   |   | |
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Post# 443443 , Reply# 8   6/28/2021 at 17:47 (1,029 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)   |   | |
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Post# 454223 , Reply# 9   6/29/2022 at 18:50 (663 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)   |   | |
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Hi Jim,
Here's the inside of the light cap of my second 515 that I got this year. The left-hand locking clip is still intact, as is the provision for the original horizontal-mount light socket, but, this 515 has the usual angled socket with only one #6 screw holding it in. Therefore, I am starting to wonder if this cap casting was in fact a replacement for the original one (that my first 515 has)? ~Ben
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This post was last edited 06/29/2022 at 19:13 |
Post# 454224 , Reply# 10   6/29/2022 at 19:09 (663 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky)   |   | |
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Post# 454225 , Reply# 11   6/29/2022 at 19:16 (663 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)   |   | |
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Kieran,
Thank you for the heads-up; I believe the version of the casting w/o the clip is the later one, though (again, because of what you mention about leftover parts from the previous model), and I think that turned up at the same time the other changes for it came about (gray wheels, red tools) when Kirby was just announcing the all-new 516. Therefore, my older 515's original light cap casting was replaced later on, because this machine (and my newer 515) also had the black wheels originally. ~Ben This post was last edited 06/29/2022 at 21:11 |
Post# 454232 , Reply# 12   6/30/2022 at 08:05 (663 days old) by VacMadMan (Pueblo Co.)   |   | |
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Ben,
Here's a picture of my 515 light cap with the angled single hole mount with no clip lock, it's set up the same as your first 515.
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Post# 454234 , Reply# 13   6/30/2022 at 08:37 (663 days old) by VacMadMan (Pueblo Co.)   |   | |
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This is what my 515 looked like when it first arrived, and what it looks like now with original 515 bag and the first smooth finish Dupont plastic wheels. I have also found an original 515 cord for it not pictured.
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Post# 454235 , Reply# 14   6/30/2022 at 08:57 (663 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)   |   | |
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